1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward a child resistant slide box container, and more particularly to such slide box containers that have a drawer that positively engages a protective cover, preventing the removal of the cover until the drawer is deformed in a specific area and manner by a user.
2. Prior Art Statement
Slide boxes are a very old and commonly used technology. The most popular use of a slide box is probably for the storage of wooden matches, and has been so for over two centuries. The slide boxes popularity stems from its unique ability to efficiently store small loose items, in such a manner, as to isolate those items from its surroundings, and assure the stored items remain in a flat orientation. The attributes of slide boxes, have facilitated its adaptation to pharmaceuticals, pesticides, deodorants and other products that need protection from, or limited exposure to, the surrounding environment. Because of the nature of products stored within slide boxes, it has become important to create slide boxes within a child resistant capability. The most popular means of creating a child resistant slide box, is by creating slide box with a positively engaging drawer and cover. Usually the engagement is released when either the drawer or the cover is deformed by the user in a specific location. The prior art exemplifying this design form is as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,350 to Horvath shows a slide box in which a tab on the cover prevents the drawer from passing. The cover has stress deflection points created within it, so that when the cover is pressed from the sides, the cover will buckle upwards lifting the locking tab away from the drawer and permitting its free movement;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,098 to Howard has a lock/unlock mechanism very similar to the Horvath patent. As the cover of the slide box is pressed the top buckles upward, disengaging the cover locking tab over the drawer locking tab, allowing the movement of the drawer;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,034 to Hoo teaches a slide box that has a cover with a deformation relief, and a drawer with a protruding locking tab. As the cover is pressed from its sides, the deformation relief lifts above the range of the drawer locking tab allowing the drawer to move freely; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,284 to Drozd, et al, shows a cover with side locking tabs that grip the drawer. As the cover is deformed downwardly in its middle, the side locking tabs expand outwardly, disengaging from the drawer and allowing the drawer to move.
In addition to child resistant slide boxes that unlock from the effects of an indirect cover deformation, there are child resistant slide boxes that unlock from the direct disengagement of the locking tabs. These patents are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,544 to Reeve shows a drawer with a spring lock that fits into a cover orifice. To open the slide box, the spring lock is simply pressed away from the cover orifice as the drawer is pulled open;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,891 to Horvath shows a drawer with locking tabs on its sides that engages cover tabs, the cover is deformed at the area of the drawer locking tabs, disengaging the two and allowing the drawer to move freely; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,731 to Allison is a hinged flip top box that has a deformation point that moves the bottom lock away from the cover lock allowing the lid to be opened.
Thus, although prior art does show child resistant slide boxes that have deformation points that allow for the disengagement of locking tabs for a given applied force, prior art neither teaches nor suggests the type of locking device or the orientation of locking/unlocking movements described by the present invention.